10th World Literature
Mrs. Walls
Queen Elizabeth’s “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”
Purpose, Diction, and Tone
.
Context: Queen Elizabeth 1 ruled England from 1558-1603. Here, she addresses her land forces at Tilbury in
1588 under imminent threat of invasion by the Spanish Armada. King Phillip II of Spain and his forces were
defeated and never reached the shores of England. In a time when men dominated society, Elizabeth
successfully ruled England for 45 years and brought England into a Golden Age.
Directions: Annotate the following speech and pay close attention to the specific details she uses to explain the
purpose of this speech. Underline all connotative words and describe their impact on the speech in the margins.
Draw a line to indicate a tone shift in the speech, and then use a describing word to characterize the tone in the
margins. In other words, ANNOTATE THIS SPEECH WITH PURPOSE. Don’t simply draw lines.
My loving people: We* have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take
heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do
not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so
behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal
hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this
time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to
live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my
honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble
woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul
scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my
realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I
myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I
know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure
you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general
shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not
doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in
the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my
kingdom, and of my people.
*Note: Elizabeth uses the royal “we” and “our” to refer to herself. The “majestic plural” is used to refer to individuals holding high
offices.
Queen Elizabeth 1. “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury.” One Hundred Great Essays. Boston: Penguin
Academics, 2011. 202-203. Print.
Step 1: Identify the following elements in order to determine the rhetorical situation. (You should also start
here when analyzing your selected speech.)
 Speaker:

Audience:

Context:

PURPOSE:
Step 2: Complete the following charts and questions to unpack rhetorical strategies. (You may want to
create a chart similar to this one for your speech analysis.)
Appeals: What means does Elizabeth use to achieve her purpose?
(See your handout for notes on Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.)
Appeal and Example
Ethos: “I have always so behaved myself that,
under God
Effect/ SO WHAT?
Elizabeth places herself under the authority of
God, connecting with her audience’s belief that
monarchs are ordained by God and operate
under his power. In emphasizing that her
authority comes from God, she strengthens her
credibility and implies that God is on her (our)
side.
Diction: List the significant terms Elizabeth uses to establish her authority, to build a bridge with
her audience, to address her gender, etc.
Term/Phrase
“foul scorn” and “enemies of my God”
Immoral/worthless
against God
Effect/ SO WHAT?
Elizabeth uses bitter diction and derogatory
terms to refer to the Spaniards as “foul scorn,”
or rather, immoral in their challenge of
England and worthless, contemptible people.
She connects with the soldiers by inciting their
hatred against the enemy, which inspires them
to fight for England and ward off potential
invaders. She also implies, again, that the
Spaniards are against God and that God is, in
fact, against the Spaniards; by calling the
Spaniards “enemies,” she is assuring God’s
blessing in this battle.
Step 3: What is Elizabeth’s tone? How does her diction establish her tone? How does this tone allow her to
achieve her purpose? Does she change her tone throughout the speech or does it remain unchanged? Look at the
tone words on the wall and decide which words most accurately describe the tone of the speech and then
explain WHY.
(Look at your speech and write tone descriptors in the margin – note how the tone changes or stays the same.)